Trouble Magnet
by Octopus Guardian
Summary: Ash had a habit of getting into trouble, whether it was small or big issues. He never made a big deal of it, and was even used to it, but Kukui sure wasn't. The last thing Kukui wants is to see the kid hurt. Luck was never really on his side though.


Professor Kukui would never say it out loud, but for the past few months that Ash had been staying with him, he'd grown attached to the boy. Ash was an interesting kid, one who had an excitement that never ceased. He inhaled information like a sponge, always asking questions and paying full attention to the lessons at school.

Out of school, he treated pokémon with nothing short of respect and admiration, always gushing over the little things and lighting up when he found a wild pokémon friendly enough for him to interact with. The kid was a natural with them, and even if Team Rocket showed up sometimes to cause trouble, even if some wild pokémon would get out of hand, Ash always found a way to fix the situation.

Kukui mulled over these thoughts one morning on the front porch, watching as Ash tried to coax a small Oricorio out of a tree. 'Baile style' his mind supplied as he squinted at the branch the small red bird was perched on.

Below, Ash held an Oran berry in his hand, holding it up towards it. He spoke softly to it, and for a moment Kukui was convinced he had succeeded in making friends. The Oricorio must have only been messing with him though, and it swooped low and flew away, heading towards a quieter tree.

Ash's disappointment didn't last long, if he even felt it. He simply took off down the path towards the beach, calling for Pikachu to race him.

The pair disappeared down the slope and Kukui grinned to himself. The kid was at it again. Running seemed to be a favorite activity of his, especially with his pokémon. Ash called it a training exercise, stating that in order for his pokémon to reach a high level of power, they needed to do more than simply polish their moves.

It made Kukui consider if the school could use some sort of extracurricular sport. Games were a great way to bond and train. The Pokébase day was proof enough. Maybe if he could convince Principal Oak, they could outline a space for a track field.

Several minutes passed as the professor tossed ideas around in his mind before he realized Ash and Pikachu weren't back yet.

The kid was fast, they had done races like this plenty of times before and Kukui knew that Ash usually got back to the house by now.

They likely got sidetracked, or maybe took a longer path. It wasn't anything to worry over. Kukui sat on the porch for a few minutes longer, shaking his head at himself for worrying.

Were his hands sweating? Kukui wiped his palms off on his coat. Ash had probably gotten distracted, he told himself. He had seen some Shellder or a Goldeen and was trying to make friends like he always did. No need to get worked up over nothing.

Another minute passed before Kukui realized he had been checking his watch every ten seconds.

He stared at the path expectantly, waiting for the kid.

Pikachu bounded up the hill at a fast pace, and Kukui inwardly sighed. He and Pikachu were attached at the hip, so Ash would soon follow.

Yet he didn't, and Kukui was already standing up when he heard a scared "Pika" and Pikachu skidded to a stop in front of him.

His cheeks were sparking erratically, and his eyes were glossy and fearful. It didn't take an expert to know that something had happened. Kukui took off in a sprint down the path, and Pikachu ran ahead of him, looking back to make sure Kukui was following.

Thoughts edged closer in his mind as he tried to think of what could have happened. What if Ash had been attacked? What if he had been backed up into a corner by a wild pokémon and was hurt? What would he tell Ash's mom? Images of a badly scratched and bitten Ash flooded in his head.

Kukui shook the thoughts away. There was no way that Ash could have been hurt by another pokémon. Pikachu was strong enough to handle anything. The pair had been together for years; Pikachu was Ash's starter, it wouldn't leave Ash to the mercy of another pokémon.

When he finally found Ash, his nerves were not settled in the slightest, but it was better than the broken limbs and terrible wounds Kukui's mind had come up with.

Ash was face down in the sand, leaning on some rocks. There was a long, bloody scratch that went down from his right knee to his ankle, and a cut on his forehead with some blood smeared across his cheek.

It seemed that he had tripped and fallen into the rocks. He must have knocked himself out too, because the Ash he knew would have brushed it off and kept running, unless he physically couldn't.

The sight of blood, especially on his head made Kukui panic, but it didn't look very deep. At least, he hoped it wasn't very deep, the head could be a difficult case when it came to injuries.

"Pika pika!"

The call pulled him from his thoughts, and he looked beside Ash at Pikachu, who stared back in return. He was waiting for him to help.

Kukui cursed himself for not grabbing the first aid kit, even when he had known something was wrong. Not that it mattered now. He heaved Ash into his arms, Pikachu jumping on top to nuzzle against his chest.

He tried to hurry back as fast as he could and felt better when he was rewarded with a waking Ash once he had placed him on the couch.

He grabbed the bandages and started with Ash's head, removing his hat and pushing back his hair. There was still some sand on his face, and he brushed it off with his free hand.

"Professor?" Ash mumbled.

Pikachu visibly relaxed at Ash's voice, and rested more into Ash's shoulder, earning a pet from the trainer.

"I'm here, Ash. Can you tell me what happened?" He responded softly, still focusing on cleaning the cut. He assumed he was right about Ash tripping into the rocks, but he wanted to test Ash to see if he needed to see a doctor. That, and he needed Ash to start talking to him just to calm himself down.

"Mm… yeah I think so. I think I tripped over a rock or something. It must've been under all the sand, cause I didn't see it" He shut his eyes tight and hissed in pain as Kukui tightened the bandage.

"Sorry Ash, I just need to put some more pressure on it. It helps stop the bleeding. Do you remember anything else?" He started on Ash's leg next, again cleaning off the blood and applying antiseptic before wrapping the cloth around.

Ash seemed to stop and think for a moment, rubbing Pikachu as his mind strained to come up with something.

"No, that's all. I must have hit my head pretty hard, huh?"

Kukui shook his head. "I think you're alright, but we were really worried about you," Kukui nodded towards the pokémon. "I'm just glad Pikachu came to get me."

Ash grinned at him before responding with a cheerful, "I knew you could help me, buddy. You're the best!"

The professor finally untensed his body. Ash was already acting like he hadn't been hurt at all. That was concerning, but a sure sign that he would be okay.

"Are you hungry?" Kukui finally tied the bandage and got up. His spot was replaced by Lycanroc and Ash's other pokémon, who had quietly crowded around without Kukui even noticing.

"Yeah! I'm so hungry I could eat anything!" He said, trying to get up. Kukui gently pressed him back down.

"Hey, slow down there. I want you to stay here for a while, just try to relax. I'll get you something from the kitchen," He walked over to the fridge, ignoring Ash's protest.

"I'm fine Professor, really! I've had worse!"

"Ash, you're only making me more worried! What do you mean you've had worse?"

"N-nothing Professor!"

Kukui stared Ash down from the kitchen, and the kid looked like he wanted to be anywhere else at the moment.

He figured it was a question for later, and seeing as Ash was stuck on the couch, he would definitely have the opportunity to ask.

Even if he tried to get up, all of his pokémon had crawled right on top, and he'd have to get through them before facing the next challenge, walking on his hurt leg.

Ash realized this as he tried to push himself up, then sat back, defeated. Kukui smirked at him as he walked back over, holding some stew.

"Here, eat up," He passed it down, and Ash, with some maneuvering, managed to grab ahold of the bowl.

"Aren't you hungry? It's dinnertime, isn't it?" Ash asked, watching Kukui take a seat on the other end of the couch.

"I'm alright. That's the last of the leftovers anyways, I was going to go shopping today, but I'll just go tomorrow," Ash looked horrified at the answer he was given.

"This is the last of it? Professor, I can't eat this, what about you?"

"I'm fine Ash, I've had both sleepless and hungry nights while researching. Besides, you're more important right now," Kukui knew by the look in Ash's eyes that the kid wasn't done yet.

"But you've helped me so much already! Being hungry is like, the worst thing, ever! I can't imagine anything worse than being hungry!"

Kukui smiled at that. "Ash, you make it sound like the end of the world."

"It is!" He insisted. "Can't we at least split it?"

"Nope! Sorry Ash, but that's all yours. Speaking of hungry, I should feed these ones," He gestured to the pokémon piled on Ash's chest and legs, all staring hungrily at the bowl.

Effectively having cut off the discussion and bringing Ash's attention to his pokémon, Kukui busied himself with pouring out the pokéchow for the others. While the group rushed over to eat, keeping an eye on Ash, Kukui sat back down and flicked on the tv.

"Anything you want to watch?" He offered. Ash was already eating, though hesitantly and shook his head, so Kukui channel surfed until they were interrupted by a squeaky voice.

"I leave to charge for an hour and this happens!" RotomDex shrieked. "Ash, can you really not handle yourself for such a small amount of time?"

"Hey! I can handle myself fine! I didn't do this on purpose!"

"It appears I will need to update my information. The statistics of Ash getting into trouble have changed from fifty percent to sixty-two point five!"

"Hey, that's not true!"

Kukui let the pair argue for a short time before pulling their attention to an action movie. Something about a desert town and two Bewear facing off, a good distraction for them all.

During some point in the movie, Ash had changed positions and was leaning against Kukui, his head resting against the older's shoulder. His pokémon had all curled up somewhere around him, all dozing off.

"Do you think I cause too much trouble, Professor?" He asked, drowsiness seeping into his voice. Kukui wrapped an arm around him in return.

"Not at all Ash," he said, and Ash sunk into him further.

"Hmm," Ash murmured. "Thanks dad."

Kukui went cherry red as he looked down at the kid resting against him, now asleep. Had he really just called him dad? The thought brought a smile to his face that wouldn't leave. Ash really had become a sort of son to him in the time he had spent at Kukui's house. He was embarrassed to admit it, but the kid was just so likable, who couldn't grow to like him? The thoughts overtook Kukui's mind as he started to doze off, forgetting the movie.

When the film ended, RotomDex got up from its position on the table, ready to ask questions during the credits and not during the actual movie, as he learned was rude. He turned to the people behind him, surprised to see them leaning into each other, fast asleep.

Ash was pressed into Kukui, using the crook between his shoulder and neck as a pillow, and the Professor rested his head on top of Ash's, glasses crooked awkwardly on his face.

Rotom decided to leave the questions for later, and went to power down for the night, leaving the two snoring on the couch.


End file.
